Best Free Usenet Clients
Below we have listed the most popular free usenet newsgroup readers. There are a few others out there but the free newsgroup reader list below is the best of the best.
| Newsreader | Details |
|---|---|
 | SABnzbd
Sabnzbd is a web based USENET newsreader and will run on Windows, Mac and Unix(or any platform that supports the Python programming language). By itself Sabnzdb is nothing spectacular but when combined with various other open source projects such as Sickbeard, CouchPotato, etc and other NZB sites such as NZBMatrix,Newzbin.es, etc then Sabnzb really comes to life and shines. Sabnzbd is a bit complex but if you stick with it you will be rewarded. Highly Recommended Review of SABnzbd or Visit SABnzbd |
 | PAN Newsreader
Very nice free Newsreader that was written originally for the Unix operating systems and then ported to Windows and MacOSX. Pan supports yEnc, offline newsreading, article filtering, multiple connections for USENET newsreaders users and alt.binaries fans. Review of PAN Newsreader or Visit PAN Newsreader |
 | NZBGet
NZBGet is a binary news grabber for UNIX, Linux or Mac OS system. You can try them anytime because it is entirely free. Review of NZBGet or Visit NZBGet |
 | Kwooty Newsreader
Kwooty is a USENET option for Linux user with a solid GUI. You can try it anytime because it is free. Review of Kwooty Newsreader or Visit Kwooty Newsreader |
 | NZBGet
NZBGet is a cross-platform binary newsgrabber for nzb files, written in C++. It supports client/server mode, automatic par-check/-repair and web-interface. NZBGet requires low system resources and runs great on routers, NAS-devices and media players. More complicated than your typical USENET Newsreader Review of NZBGet or Visit NZBGet |
 | PureNZB Newsreader
Review of PureNZB Newsreader or Visit PureNZB Newsreader |
 | HelloNZB
HelloNZB is a JAVA based open source NZB decoder. This is good news if you are on a Mac or Linux and you want to download and expand an NZB file. Recently improved as of October 2013. Check them out. Review of HelloNZB or Visit HelloNZB |
 | Binreader Binreader was a simple, secure and free NZB downloader, providing user-friendly interface. However as of October 2014 Binreader has officially shutdown their website. |
In addition to the free usenet reader list above, it should also be noted that alt.binz (a popular binary Usenet newsreader with two versions) is somewhat free. That is, the first version of alt.binz is free so technically it is a free usenet newsreader but it is limited in nature. Really instead, alt.binz is donation ware and you have to pay a small fee to receive the full fledged and improved version.
Some other free usenet news readers are not listed because they are very outdated and not even worth your time especially if you are looking to download binary files.
Essentially if you want something free and you are going to participate in only discussions and not binary downloading then Mozilla Thunderbird is the perfect free Usenet news reader. It is available for every platform – Windows, Mac and Linux and despite a few tricky and hard to understand parts, is a very good piece of software. Check out our review of Mozilla Thunderbird here.
Note: Mozilla Thunderbird is not as frequently updated as the Firefox web browser but still it is updated often enough and is a decent client.
Finally, If you are interested in downloading binary files from Usenet and you want something free then essentially you have just a few choices
- SABnzbd- this is a web-based program which means that SABnzbd installs it own web-server and the user interface is web-based. SABnzbd is making lots of improvements and continually developing and improving their software.
- Binreader - Top free and very easy to use client for Usenet we would put it ahead of SABnzbd but SABnzbd has so much community support and is much more flexible.
- Grabit -decent Usenet software for windows. We prefer Binreader in the free category but make up your own mind. There are other Usenet newsreaders available which I would recommend if you start to spend a lot of time download from Usenet
- Unzbin - good NZB file down loader similar to u torrent in the speed, usefulness and coolness. Only for NZB downloading
So in conclusion, give these free ones a try and remember, if you really get into Usenet be sure to check out our list of best paid Usenet newsreader software.
